bayedsolid Chapter 259 Good Sister
Chapter 259 Good Sister
Xia Laidi did want to find Yunyi, but she hadn't really thought it through. So, she kept wandering around the area. She had even considered giving up and leaving just now, but she didn't expect Yunyi to come out and see her. She was suddenly at a loss.
Yunyi could roughly guess the other party's intention, but she didn't mention it. Instead, she smiled and said, "If you have nothing else to do, you should hurry back. It's so cold outside..."
"Um, Fang... Sister Fang, I really have something to say." Xia Laidi looked up at Yun Yi, her expression a little unnatural. After all, she used to call her by her name, but now that the other woman's status was different, she didn't know how to address her anymore. In the end, she could only shamelessly call her "sister."
"Since there's something to say, let's just say it." Yunyi nodded.
"I want to make a future for myself."
"Hmm?" Yun Yi raised an eyebrow slightly. "You shouldn't have come to me for your career plans, you..."
“You know my family situation. My parents don’t care about me and my fourth sister at all. So, I can only make plans for myself and my fourth sister. I don’t want to be sold to the mountains by my parents, and I don’t want to…” Xia Laidi paused, swallowing the bitterness in her heart, “I know it’s wrong to do this, but I really don’t know who to turn to.”
"What do you mean by 'future'?" Yunyi smiled. "Getting married? Or finding something that will allow me to support myself?"
“I…” Xia Laidi was stunned. In her mind, a woman’s best future was to find a good husband. But now Yunyi was telling her that there was another possibility for her future: to do things on her own and be able to stand on her own two feet. “I don’t know.”
"Why don't you go back and think about it?" Yunyi curled the corners of her lips.
"I……"
"A woman's future is not limited to marriage; many women have their own careers."
Xia Laidi bit her lip: "Sister Fang, I can roughly understand what you're saying, but I don't have such big ambitions. I just want to find a good family to marry into. I can work, and as long as a man treats me well, I'm confident I can make a good life for myself. That way, I can escape the oppression of my parents, and my fourth sister can rely on me. In the future, I can also find a good family for my fourth sister."
"You're such a good older sister," Yunyi said with a smile.
Xia Tianyou and his wife were indeed good people, but that didn't stop them from favoring sons over daughters.
Perhaps he wasn't so insistent at first, so he doted on his eldest daughter Xia Baolian and second daughter Xia Baozhu as they grew up. But he was somewhat disappointed when his third daughter was also a girl, so he named her Lai Di. When his fourth daughter was also a girl, he was somewhat desperate.
After their youngest son, Donkey Egg, was born, the couple devoted all their energy to him.
She had even heard that they had almost strangled their two-year-old daughter, but Xia Laidi had cried and begged to save her own food rations to keep Xia Zhaodi alive.
“There’s no other way. I want to live with my sister.” Xia Laidi gave a bitter smile. “I know Brother Zhao is looking for a partner. I originally thought… but I was too hasty and may have made a mistake. So, I want Sister Fang to tell you that I really… am not shameless. I really have no other choice.”
"Sigh." Yunyi sighed, "It's no problem to tell you, but when it comes to matters of the heart, no one else can control it."
"I know, I'm just doing my best. If it really doesn't work, then I'll just have to accept my fate." Xia Laidi said, bowing to Yun Yi. "Sorry to bother you." Then she turned to leave, but stopped after taking only two steps. She walked back to Yun Yi, opened a small cloth bag in her hand, and stuffed a pair of shoes inside into Yun Yi's hands. "These are shoes I made myself. They're not made of good material, but... I used a lot of cotton, so they're very warm. Don't mind them." After saying that, she turned and ran away.
Yunyi looked at the shoes in her hand and felt a headache coming on. How did she end up being the matchmaker? Zhao Dazhuang really was a hot commodity. So she decided not to go to the mountains and went home instead.
Just then, they ran into Da Zhuang's mother and Guo Zhaodi walking out together; to be precise, Guo Zhaodi was seeing Da Zhuang's mother off.
The names of girls in ancient times were really... especially in families that favored sons over daughters. They would often have names like Zhaodi, Laidi, Pandi, and Wangdi, so there were a lot of girls with the same name.
The two of them greeted Yunyi with smiles as soon as they saw her.
When Dazhuang's mother saw the shoes in Yunyi's hands, she couldn't help but praise them, "These shoes are really well made."
"Auntie, do you think these shoes are well made?" Yunyi looked at them repeatedly and had to admit that the stitches were indeed fine and dense, with each stitch measuring the exact length. The soles were also very thick, and an orchid was embroidered on them. The only drawback was that the fabric was just average. If it were made of satin, these shoes could be considered works of art.
“Great! I don’t even know how to make these shoes.” Da Zhuang’s mother took the shoes and examined them repeatedly, even discussing them with Guo Zhaodi. “They are indeed well-made. I wonder whose work they are?”
“It’s Xia Laidi’s.” Yunyi glanced at Guo Zhaodi.
Guo Zhaodi wasn't stupid; she naturally understood the implication, but her expression remained unchanged: "That girl is indeed capable. There's no other way; if she doesn't work, she won't eat. She also has to protect her younger sisters. It's not easy for her."
Although Da Zhuang's mother wasn't very bright, she couldn't help but wonder at this moment: "Is that girl really that capable?"
“That’s true. Everyone in the village knows her. She’s good at everything, both at home and outside.” Guo Zhaodi nodded. “Sometimes I tell my daughter that I hope she can be as capable as Lai Di in the future.”
Although she hoped her niece could find a good family, she wouldn't lie to her conscience. In truth, Xia Laidi was indeed much more capable than Xia Miaomiao.
Moreover, with Yunyi around, if she were to lie and say that Xia Miaomiao was better than Xia Laidi, she herself would probably be disliked.
She's a widow with a daughter. If Yunyi kicks her out, how will she survive?
Da Zhuang's mother was originally more inclined to choose Xia Miaomiao, but now she was a little uncertain. However, she would not make a decision on this matter: "I must ask that girl for advice when I have the chance."
“It’s the New Year, and we need purses right now. With just a few of you making them, the quantity is far from enough. I was thinking of finding a few more people to help. How about we invite the village women and girls to come and work together? We’ll pay them per purse.” Yunyi made the decision immediately.
At this time, the red envelope was a purse. Rural families didn't have many rules. Anyone who knew needlework could make one, and the patterns on it didn't need to be too complicated.
Yunyi's request was even simpler: just embroider a "福" (good fortune) character. No other embroidery was needed. They would provide needles, thread, and fabric, and give her three coins for making a purse.